Biddeston, Queensland
| Biddeston Toowoomba Region, Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Fields along Oakey Biddleston Road, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
  Biddeston | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 27°34′13″S 151°42′56″E / 27.5702°S 151.7155°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 269 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 3.645/km2 (9.440/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4401 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 73.8 km2 (28.5 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Toowoomba Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Condamine | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Groom | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Biddeston is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2021 census, the locality of Biddeston had a population of 269 people.[1]
History
Crosshill State School opened on 9 August 1880 and closed on 1940.[4][5]
A postal receiving office opened on 1 February 1882 and was upgraded to a post office on 1 July 1927. During that time it was run by the Anderson family of Biddeston Farm, which is probably the origin of the district name. The post office closed on 5 January 1965.[2][6]
The town reserve was established on 26 August 1890.[2]
In 1880, a 10-acre block of land on the Oakey-Southbrook Road was aside for a school. However, it was not until 14 October 1919 that the Biddeston State School finally opened, but with only a tent for a schoolroom for the 14 children enrolled under teacher Margaret Cecilla Cloherty Anderson. It was not until 10 October 1921 that the Education Department built a one-room timber building to replace the tent. Despite growing enrolment numbers, the Education Department would not enlarge the building apart from the addition of a verandah in 1927. It was not until 1954 that a second school room was built.[7][8] A pre-school was added in 1986.[4]
Burton Provisional School opened on 22 February 1900. On 1 January 1909, it became Burton State School. It closed on 5 December 1944.[4][9] It was at 1840 Toowoomba Cecil Plains Road (27°32′58″S 151°45′11″E / 27.5494°S 151.7531°E).[10][11]
Biddeston was the site of the Biddeston Murders that took place on 2 March 2015 when a grandfather killed his pregnant daughter and grandson.[12]
Demographics
In the 2011 census, the locality of Biddeston had a population of 328 people.[13]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Biddeston had a population of 284 people.[14]
In the 2021 census, the locality of Biddeston had a population of 269 people.[1]
Road infrastructure
The Toowoomba–Cecil Plains Road runs through from east to west.[15]
Economy
There are a number of homesteads in the locality:[16]
- Aberdeen (27°32′24″S 151°44′48″E / 27.5400°S 151.7467°E)
- Aughamore (27°34′06″S 151°43′43″E / 27.5684°S 151.7285°E)
- Bronte Park (27°34′14″S 151°44′40″E / 27.5705°S 151.7445°E)
- Burton (27°32′25″S 151°44′56″E / 27.5404°S 151.7489°E)
- Chelandry (27°34′21″S 151°43′50″E / 27.5726°S 151.7306°E)
- Croxley (27°31′46″S 151°44′31″E / 27.5294°S 151.7419°E)
- Egmont Park (27°36′09″S 151°43′49″E / 27.6024°S 151.7302°E)
- Enterprise (27°30′45″S 151°44′55″E / 27.5125°S 151.7486°E)
- Glen Bride (27°32′21″S 151°44′20″E / 27.5391°S 151.7388°E)
- Glen View (27°35′02″S 151°44′00″E / 27.5838°S 151.7333°E)
- Goldrush Lodge (27°35′03″S 151°43′35″E / 27.5843°S 151.7264°E)
- Hillview (27°34′52″S 151°45′07″E / 27.5810°S 151.7519°E)
- Kerrabee Park (27°32′40″S 151°45′19″E / 27.5445°S 151.7552°E)
- Lange (27°33′17″S 151°43′53″E / 27.5546°S 151.7315°E)
- Martrise (27°32′06″S 151°42′06″E / 27.5349°S 151.7018°E)
- Mayfield (27°32′41″S 151°45′33″E / 27.5448°S 151.7591°E)
- Parklands (27°33′57″S 151°44′31″E / 27.5659°S 151.7419°E)
- Rayhill (27°35′11″S 151°42′41″E / 27.5865°S 151.7114°E)
- Roxanna (27°33′05″S 151°45′04″E / 27.5513°S 151.7511°E)
- Silver Springs (27°35′24″S 151°43′45″E / 27.5899°S 151.7291°E)
- The Towers (27°30′52″S 151°43′20″E / 27.5145°S 151.7221°E)
- Wallaby Hill (27°36′04″S 151°43′56″E / 27.6012°S 151.7323°E)
- Windemere (27°33′02″S 151°45′00″E / 27.5506°S 151.7501°E)
- Ziebel (27°31′13″S 151°43′58″E / 27.5203°S 151.7328°E)
Education
Biddeston State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 2425 Cecil Plains Road (27°33′15″S 151°41′50″E / 27.5541°S 151.6973°E).[17][18] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 61 students with 5 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[19] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 70 students with 6 teachers (4 full-time equivalent) and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).[20]
There is no secondary schools in Biddeston. The nearest government secondary school is Oakey State High School in neighbouring Oakey to the north.[11]
Events
The Biddeston Tractor Pull is an annual event in which restored and modified tractors compete to pull heavy loads.[21]
References
- ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Biddeston (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ a b c "Biddeston – town in Toowoomba Region (entry 2451)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
- ^ "Biddeston – locality in Toowoomba Region (entry 47890)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
- ^ a b c Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
- ^ "School for Crosshill". Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs General Advertiser. No. 1464. Queensland, Australia. 11 March 1879. p. 3. Retrieved 23 November 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Phoenix Auctions. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
- ^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ "School history". Biddeston State School. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ "Agency ID 8921, Burton State School". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ "Parish of Westbrook" (Map). Queensland Government. 1932. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ "Man took own life after murdering grandson, daughter: police". www.abc.net.au. 5 March 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Biddeston (SSC)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Biddeston (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ Biddeston, Queensland (Map). OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ "Homesteads - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 18 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Biddeston State School". Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
- ^ "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ "Tractors pull Biddeston crowd". Farm Online. 18 February 2014. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
Further reading
- Clarke, Ian W; Telford, Thomas Colin (1994), From tent to triumph : a celebration of 75 years of education at Biddeston :incorporating related historical aspects of Biddeston and surrounds, Biddeston State School
